CAIP-Induced ROS Production Contributes to Sustaining Atherosclerotic Process Associated with Helicobacter cinaedi Infection through Macrophages and Endothelial Cells Activation.

Several lines of evidence have linked the intestinal bacterium Helicobacter cinaedi with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, identifying the Cinaedi Antigen Inflammatory Protein (CAIP) as a key virulence factor. Oxidative stress and inflammation are crucial in sustaining the atherosclerotic process and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) uptake. Primary human macrophages and endothelial cells were pre-incubated with 10 µM diphenyl iodonium salt (DPI) and stimulated with 20 µg/mL CAIP. Lectin-like oxLDL receptor (LOX-1) expression was evaluated by FACS analysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was measured using the fluorescent probe H2DCF-DA, and cytokine release was quantified by ELISA assay. Foam cells formation was assessed by Oil Red-O staining, and phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 MAP kinases and NF-κB pathway activation were determined by Western blot. This study demonstrated that CAIP triggered LOX-1 over-expression and increased ROS production in both macrophages and endothelial cells. Blocking ROS abrogated LOX-1 expression and reduced LDL uptake and foam cells formation. Additionally, CAIP-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine release was significantly affected by ROS inhibition. The signaling pathway induced by CAIP-induced oxidative stress led to p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation and NF-κB activation. These findings elucidate the mechanism of action of CAIP, which heightens oxidative stress and contributes to the atherosclerotic process in H. cinaedi-infected patients.

Multiplexed imaging to reveal tissue dendritic cell spatial localisation and function.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in immune surveillance, acting as sentinels that coordinate immune responses within tissues. Although differences in the identity and functional states of DC subpopulations have been identified through multiparametric flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing, these methods do not provide information about the spatial context in which the cells are located. This knowledge is crucial for understanding tissue organisation and cellular cross-talk. Recent developments in multiplex imaging techniques can now offer insights into this complex spatial and functional landscape. This review provides a concise overview of these imaging methodologies, emphasising their application in identifying DCs to delineate their tissue-specific functions and aiding newcomers in navigating this field.

Oceanographic characteristics of the Adriatic Sea - Support to secondary HAOP spread through natural dispersal.

Vessels, specifically ballast water and hull fouling, are a major vector for the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) in European seas. The Mediterranean is one of the world's marine regions where their invasion is heaviest. The shallow Adriatic basin is a highly sensitive area that is already experiencing its consequences. The secondary spread of NIS over a wider area through natural dispersion is a complex process that depends on a wide range of oceanographic factors. This work analysed the dataset of the BALMAS project, in whose framework twelve ports in the Adriatic Sea were subjected to a Port Baseline Survey (PBS), to estimate the natural spread of NIS organisms from their port of arrival to the wider Adriatic basin. Its findings indicate that the prevailing water circulation patterns facilitate the natural dispersal of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOP).

Seasonal dynamics and long-term trend of hypoxia in the coastal zone of Emilia Romagna (NW Adriatic Sea, Italy).

Long-term series of meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic data were compared with hypoxia occurrence, in order to define characteristics and trends of this phenomenon in the Emilia Romagna Coastal Zone (ERCZ) in 1977-2008. During this period, hypoxia was recorded at all sampling stations, up to 20 km offshore. In winter, spring and late autumn, hypoxia appearance was matched to significant positive anomalies of air and surface seawater temperatures (up to +3.6 °C), whereas this effect was less pronounced in August-October. Hypoxia generally occurred with scarce precipitation (0-2 dm(3)m(2)d(-1)) and low wind velocity (0-2 ms(-1)), suggesting the importance of stable meteo-marine conditions for the onset of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, wind direction emerged as an indicator of hydrodynamic seasonal changes in the area and is thus a hypoxia regulator. In winter, spring and autumn, hypoxia was favored by large increases of biomass induced by river freshets. In contrast, summer hypoxia occurred during periods of low runoff, suggesting that pronounced stratification and weak circulation of coastal waters were more important in this season. Since the 1990s, a shift from widespread summer hypoxia to local hypoxia irregularly distributed across the year has occurred. This process was concomitant to long-term increases of air temperature (+0.14 °C yr(-1)), wind speed (+0.03 ms(-1) yr(-1)) and salinity (+0.09 yr(-1)), and decreases of Po River flow (-0.54 km(3) yr(-1)), oxygen saturation (-0.2% yr(-1)) and PO4(3-) (-0.004 µmol P L(-1) yr(-1)) and NH4(+) (-0.04 µmol N L(-1) yr(-1)) concentrations in surface coastal waters. Despite that several of these changes suggest an ERCZ trophic level positive reduction, similar to that reported for the N Adriatic, the concomitant climate warming might further exacerbate hypoxia in particularly shallow shelf locations. Therefore, in order to avoid hypoxia development a further mitigation of anthropogenic pressure is still needed in the area.

Anthropogenic loads and biogeochemical role of urea in the Gulf of Trieste.

In order to assess the role of urea in the Gulf of Trieste, oceanographic data collected from 2002 to 2011 were analyzed together with ancillary ambient information and compared to past studies. The recent levels of urea found in these coastal waters (median = 1.1 µM N, maximum value = 19.7 µM N) are often high and similar to those reported in the early 1980s. A preliminary estimate of the external inputs indicated that this enrichment in urea is mainly due to emissions from urban sewage systems, whereas the contributions of rivers and atmospheric deposition are scarce. As a consequence, urea appears to be a reliable tracer of the diffusion of wastewaters in the coastal marine environment, more specific and sensitive than other nutrients, with a behavior that also reflects the technology of the treatment plants. The stability of urea levels over the last three decades suggests that the upgrade of wastewater treatment technologies was probably balanced by the concomitant increase of the anthropogenic pressure in the area (477,000 to 1,300,000 inhabitant equivalent). Budget estimates on the gulf-wide scale indicate that urea (177-530 t N) is not negligible compared to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (409-919 t N) and that it can constitute up to 56% of the nitrogen available for plankton growth. A large accumulation of urea can occur during summer periods characterized by stable weather conditions and weak circulation, whereas a biologically mediated degradation to ammonium is observed in autumn in concomitance to a strong shift of the marine ecosystem toward heterotrophic conditions. These processes, together with a potential competition between phytoplankton and bacteria for the utilization of this nitrogen form, suggest that the biogeochemical role of urea should be better investigated in mid-latitude coastal zones subjected to highly variable ambient conditions and to overloads of this compound.